


Cleave The Stars

by ZaStada



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Lives, Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Ahsoka Tano, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Episode: s05e20 The Wrong Jedi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24503755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaStada/pseuds/ZaStada
Summary: Everything was a haze, she wasn’t even aware of where her feet were taking her so long as they were taking her somewhere, anywhere, that was far enough from that nightmare. She couldn’t figure out where the pain originated from, only that it was encompassing her entire body, everything just hurt. She had been betrayed, expelled, humiliated… abandoned.A couple of days ago she had been a Jedi, a padawan, a friend.That was all gone now. Now she was a nobody.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano/Original Character(s), Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 72
Kudos: 129





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone! This is my first fanfic ever!!!! Please be gentle with me! I'm writing this because clone wars is done and I need a happy ending for these babies! I really wanted to expand on Ahsoka's character development and really give her some BAMF powers! Stick with me I know this first part is icky and sad but let's just go with the flow! There's nothing extremely graphic in this chapter so don't worry.

Everything was a haze, she wasn’t even aware of where her feet were taking her so long as they were taking her somewhere, anywhere, that was far enough from that nightmare. She couldn’t figure out where the pain originated from, only that it was encompassing her entire body, everything just hurt. She had been betrayed, expelled, humiliated… abandoned. 

A couple of days ago she had been a Jedi, a padawan, a friend.

That was all gone now. Now she was a nobody. 

Down deep in Corusants underbelly no one bothered paying attention to anybody, a whole layer of nobody’s walking by one another. 

It all seemed like some kind of cosmic joke to her now, before all of this she had been so sure in both the Republic and the Council, a facade, why bother even striving for peace anymore? No one really cared, they couldn’t see past their own agendas and indifference to really strive for peace and prosperity throughout the galaxy.

She was sure that she painted a pretty picture. The cloak she had managed to snag was filthy and riddled with holes, but was long enough to cover her montrals and face. She hadn’t had a chance to examine her wounds, but from what she could guess she was a mess. Her body just felt like one giant bruise. Some of them were in the shape of fists, across her abdomen and face. A matching ring set around her wrists where the force suppressing cuffs had been. And there were deep purple handprints on her hips, her thighs, and her chest. With every step, she could feel the tugs across her shoulders and back, as the cuts and scratches stretched. But the worst part was feeling the blood drip down her thighs. 

Ever since Letta died, Tarkin had become ensnared with seeing her guilty. His leering looks and small touches had given here cold chills down her spine. 

When she was first arrested Anakin hadn’t even been able to come and see her, that worry had been alleviated somewhat once she found the keycard to escape, but quickly lost the hope that he was helping her when it became clear that whoever let her out was obviously trying to set her up, what with the dead clones in the hallway. The following days were such a whirlwind, especially with the unexpected aid of Ventress, and the mysterious double-bladed Sith in the warehouse with the nano-droids. 

Her following trial felt more like a pile of accusations against her supported by circumstantial evidence. Padmé was a big help, but it was obvious that the court had no intention of seeing her as a non-guilty party. The chancellor had called for a recess after both the defense and prosecution or Tarkin, had presented their cases. And she had quickly been escorted to a small grey cell and fitted with force suppressing cuffs around her wrists. She wasn’t allowed any visitors of any kind, before she had left Padmé smiled softly at her, probably in an effort to comfort her and give her hope. She was grateful for the small act of kindness, even though she felt like it was in vain. 

Time seemed to slow down in that cell, there was nothing to look at, except for a small security camera, or to listen to, except for her thoughts.

“Come on Skyguy, where are you?”

After some time, her cell door was suddenly opened and Tarkin walked in with two other men. She didn’t recognize them per se, but she was sure that she had seen them on one chance or another at the Senate building. They looked like your average thug. Big, like the eat twenty meals a day big and obsess too much over your muscles big, coupled with dirty pinched faces. She decided to call them Thing One and Two. They made quite the pair shadowing Trakins shoulders as he stepped into her cell with a foul arrogance.

“I am here on behalf of Chancellor Palpatine to provide you with the findings of the court,” Tarkin sneered at her, “you are hereby found guilty of all charges placed against you and are to be executed as punishment befitting your crimes.” 

“I’m sure your master must be so disappointed, why he hasn’t even come to say goodbye.” 

He looked down on her with a false empathetic face, but the slight twitching at the corner of his lips and the crazed look in his eye showed that he was in fact relishing in her plight. 

“What? No, there has to have been some kind of mistake, I’m innocent! My master is out there looking for the real culprit,” she panted at Tarkin meeting his stare head-on, “You’re wrong, Admiral.”

Tarkin suddenly started walking forward into her space, his two goons followed him, step for step, crowding her back towards the back wall.

“You know, you are absolutely right.” 

And then he socked her in the face. 

She was so surprised by the hit she didn’t notice the two goons moving around towards her sides. She had been moving to kick out at Tarkin when she was tag timed beat across her face and abdomen and fell to the floor. Both Thing One and Two kept up with the beating across her body as Tarkin stalked from one side of the cell to another. Pain flared across her body, and she coughed trying to catch her breath after an especially punishing hit to her ribs. Her lip was split and she could feel one eye welling shut. She was screaming at the force to help her but was cruelly denied any response due to the cuffs.

“I am well aware that you are innocent, in fact I’ve been well assured of the fact. But, unfortunately, you need to be out of the way. After you and your master rescued me from the Citadel, I have been tormented by thoughts of you. Your arrogant attitude, how flippant you are towards your superiors.” 

He spat out his words as he came to a stop in front of her prone body on the floor. The goons stopped for a moment, looking to Tarkin. He slowly smiled as his hands reached up to loosed his shirt around his neck.

“I’ve been looking forward to this ever since the Chancellor gave me the go-ahead,” he panted, “I’ll have to give him some kind of thank you gift for this opportunity.”

“Take off her clothes.”

Her strength came back in full force as terror and disbelief swarmed her. Her body flailed on the floor as she struggled to land any hit in an attempt to subdue her attackers. Tarkin was going to rape her. Her voice caught in her throat as her mind screamed at her to get away, to call for help, but her words caught in her throat as Thing One managed to remove the first article of clothing. After that, her attempts to fight them off seemed more futile, as her strength waned and her horror grew. 

She looked up at Tarkin, he was half-naked and his pants had been loosened with his belt removed. 

“It’s alright,” he taunted at her as he caged his body around hers, one of his hands coming to trace up to her abdomen towards her chest, “you can scream.”

Cold, everything felt cold. The floor, the air in her lungs as she gasped and coughed, the wet tracks on her cheeks from fallen tears. 

Tarkin had taken great pleasure in her, he had seemed to get more erratic once her tears had fallen and her voice had risen to a scream. And when he was done with her he had let his goons take a turn as well as he left to get water, or so he said. 

She felt hopeless, tainted, dirty. She could feel their hands on her skin, tormenting her soul. No one had come to help her, no one had heard her screams and pleas for help, nobody cared about the traitor ex-Jedi in the cell. She didn’t matter anymore, she wasn’t worth caring about. 

The Republic labeled her a traitor, the Council stripped away her hope and identity, Padmé was far from her reach and couldn’t do anything to help her, Anakin was a no show, he probably believed that she was guilty after finding the evidence, and Tarkin, Tarkin had stripped away any lasting goodness and hope within her. Scraping her down to a shell of who she once was. She was sure that if she were to look at herself she wouldn’t be able to recognize herself.

She wanted to wake up from this, to have it just be a bad dream, and go back to being who she was. A Jedi, a padawan, a friend. 

Tarkin returned with his two goons nad had a small blaster on his hip. She heard one of them asking Tarkin about the camera, but it was quickly dismissed once Tarkin explained he was going to delete the recording. 

She was going to die here in this pitiful cell, and nobody would know that she was innocent of her crimes, or that she had been violated, and would soon be murdered to cover it all up.

Tarkin motioned for the two goons to get her on her knees, as he pulled the blaster from its holster and aimed it for right in between her eyes. 

“Don’t worry, just let go,” a gentle voice whispered in the back of my head,

“What?” 

She looked around the room to see if there was someone there, a rescue maybe?

“Goodbye, Ahsoka Tano.”

Tarkin pulled the trigger.


	2. Get Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I'm so happy that you guys are liking this!!! This chapter kind of picks up from the beginning of the prologue and sets Ahsoka down her path! Enjoy!

She suddenly sat up with a sore gasp, hacking coughs left her throat as she struggled to catch her breath. Her lungs rattled in her chest, as shivers broke out across her skin.

Her eye swiped across her surroundings, it was dark and damp. She could smell garbage and sewage nearby, she had to be in the underbelly of Corusant, that smell was logged into her memory from previous trips down here. She wasn’t sure what level she was on but it was far from the surface.

She wasn’t sure what had happened, the last thing she remembered was Tarkin pointing a gun at her. 

Broken sobs started to escape her lips as she managed to pick herself up off the floor until she was leaning against the wall closest to her.

Shock and horror. That’s all that she could feel. Humiliation soon followed. Her wounds were throbbing reminders of her assault and punctured holes at her strength.  
There was also a renowned sense of relief, the force cuffs were gone! Kriff, it almost buffered her pain and suffering right there, just being able to connect with the force around her. 

She managed to swipe a large robe laying on the floor by her feet, it was half-covered in filth and who knows what else, but at least she wouldn’t be naked and exposed.

“Get up,” a soft voice whispered to her.

She looked around to see where the voice was coming from. There was no one there.

“Who are you? Where are you? What is going on?” She asked exasperatedly.

Nothing happens. She looks around again trying to see, but there was no one there. Using the wall to help support her she strains to stand up, there are trickles of blood that follow her movements. She looked up towards the surface… Anakin. She sighed, she couldn’t face him, not like this. She was filthy, dirtied… guilty of something she didn’t even do. 

She couldn’t go back, there wasn’t anything there anymore to help her and no one would believe her innocence before so there was no way they would believe that she had been framed and raped by a GAR Admiral. Tarkin would make sure that there would be no evidence. She was sure that by now he was reporting that she was dead. 

She just wanted to go away, anywhere, just far enough. So she started walking. 

She had been walking forever, her steps were faltering. She was hurting, exhausted, hungry. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually eaten something. Suddenly, someone bumped into sending her sprawling on her butt.

“Hey!” She admonished at the stranger who ran into her.

“Oh, I am so sorry! Sorry I’m in this huge rush to get back and I was looking down at this article, and I mean this is just absolutely crazy, I can’t believe I’ve never tried it, it’s gonna be amazing! I mean who thought of using Corellian firewhiskey to add to their baked toast! It’s wizard!” 

Ahsoka just looked at her slightly lost for words. The woman before her looked about Padmés age and height. She had long brown hair and these weird eyes that seemed to change colors as the light shifted across them. She rambled on at a speed which would have made her jealous had she been in a better mood. 

“And sweet holy starspots! What happened to you? Are you ok?” She quickly came to offer support to her as she was wobbling on her feet.

“Sweetie, what happened? Can you tell me your name, or what happened?” She asked her. 

She wasn’t sure if it was the stress and sadness of the accusations against her or the rape, but she suddenly burst into loud, ugly sobs. The woman immediately gathered her up in her arms as gently and fiercely as she could.

“Shhh, it’s ok I got you. It’s alright, shh, let me see you,” she gently pulled the hood off her face, “Oh, kriff-”

She couldn’t say her real name, not here on Corusant.

“My name is Ashla,” she hiccuped.

Eva gave her a look like she knew that she was lying about her name, but smiled none the less. 

“Hi there Ashla, I’m Eva.”

“Look, I kind of help run a house for girls who need help, can I take you there? We can get you cleaned up and get some food in you, you look like you could use a hot meal. And Sylvie is a doctor she can fix you right up!”

“I-I don’t have any way to pay you, I-”

“That’s alright, let's just get you fixed up, and then we’ll figure that out.”

She looked at her and managed the slightest of a smile, it felt more like a grimace but it seemed to get the point across.

“Okay, here lean on me, it’s not far.”

Eva’s home really wasn’t too far from where she had woken up. They had managed to reach the front door without too much difficulty, Eva was definitely stronger than she looked, she practically carried her here as her feet kept giving out and dragging bare across the ground. 

As soon as they crossed over the threshold there had been a flurry of activity as Eva called out to the others that she needed help. And she had quickly found herself in a comfortable robe, one of the girls had carried the other one with a pair of tongs to the garbage chute remarking that she would have preferred to burn it but was worried about the smell.

Sylvie was the first one she actually met. A much older Twi’lek with soft, warm golden eyes. She had taken one look at her and then started barking out orders until she found herself situated on a comfortable bed with a warm blanket across her legs and a hot bowl of broth in her hands.

By the time she had slurped the last of the broth from the bowl the only people left in the room were Sylvie and Eva, who was acting as Sylvie’s assistant as she was patched up.

Her eyes were so heavy, they kept fluttering shut. She had been given something for the pain and it made her body feel heavy as it sank into the bed.

“Go to sleep little one,” Sylvie instructed her as she examined a bruise on her abdomen.

And that was that.

Sylvie wasn’t stupid. She recognized the battered child before her as she slept on the exam bed.

“You do realize were now harboring a criminal, yes?” Sylvie quietly asked.

“What? Her? But she’s a kid… And how would you know?

“She’s been all over the news, her real name is Ahsoka Tano. She’s that Jedi who supposedly bombed the temple.” Sylvie explained, “you should really expand past whatever it is you do on your screens all day and pay attention to what’s going on around you.”

“I’ll have you know that I am a very successful hacker, those business blowhards never know what’s hitting them. I just don’t like listening to the droning news of Corusant spouting bull all the time. And you’re really gonna stand here and tell me that this little girl, who’s obviously been assaulted is guilty of bombing the Jedi? There’s no way.” 

Eva had been whishing a spoon in the air at Sylvie as she rattled on. Sylvie had no idea where Eva had gotten the spoon, but she would smack it out of her hand if it got near her face one more time.

“I never said that she was guilty, just that she had supposedly bombed the temple. It all seemed out of place to me, for a Jedi to bomb their home… I figured something was afoot, but the Republic and the Jedi seemed dead set on the fact that she was guilty. Last I heard they had captured her after she escaped prison and were taking her to trial.”

“That’s just insane, I thought Jedi were supposed to be all high and goody-goody,” she made air quotes with her hand as she said this.

“Its this war, it seems to be corrupting everything, we know that,” Sylvie crossed her arms across her chest, “Once she’s back on her feet I want you to get her on the next shuttle to Lothal. Don’t worry about credits I’ll vouch for her.”

“Wha- Seriously?” She had almost dropped her spoon. Sylvie just raised a brow at her. “Alright, alright, yeesh, I’ll get right on that,” and with a mock salute, she left the room.

Sylvie looked down at Ahsoka, too young to have to deal with all of these horrors. She could feel it in her gut, this girl was innocent and there was something wrong with this whole situation. One thing was clear, it was most assuredly not safe for her on Corusant, and hopefully, Lothal would give her some peace to recover. 

She stroked a hand down one of Ahsoka’s lekku gently, smiling fondly at slight twitch that followed.

“Aenyaw, I’m going to need some more hot water and Bacta if there’s any left and get me the after pill, please.” She called out softly into the hall.

“We still got a lot of work to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that felt like it took forever to write! I kept feeling like I could go in so many directions but I like how it turned out! Next time we'll catch up with Anakin and Bariss's reveal, etc. With a little Ahsoka in there.


	3. The Truth Tends to Slap You Across the Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! This one is a long one! I thought about splitting it up but I thought it was better as a whole. So sorry for the extra wait I started summer online classes for college this week and was getting used to the assignments. Updates for future reference will try to stay in the two-day upload times.

Day of Ahsoka’s Trial (3 Rotations Ago)

Anakin stalked across the small waiting area outside the council chambers. The gears in his right hand were straining under the force of his clenching fist. 

He felt so lost, everything around him felt like a whirlwind, swirling around him in every possible direction. Leading him down one way, only to snatch him up and take him somewhere else.

After he had secured Ahsoka at the courthouse with Padmé as her councilour and defense, he had gone after Ventriss, who Ahsoka believed was the true culprit behind the bombings and the set up against her. Ventriss continued to be a disappointment, spouting off poodoo about how she related to Ahsoka’s current plight and empathized with her on the feelings of betrayal that Ahsoka must have felt dealt by both him, her master, and the Jedi council. The only thing he had been able to get out of her was that she had been attacked and had her lightsabers stolen, after separating from Ahsoka, she said that Ahsoka had commed someone at the temple and had been given a clue about the bombing. Ventriss didn’t know who Ahsoka had talked to, just that she and Ahsoka split not long after. 

A full day was now wasted, he hadn’t even been able to return to the courthouse to see how Ahsokas trial was pending and Padmés comm was muted for the duration of the trial so he couldn’t contact her for updates. His hopes now rested on the council, though it was probably a waste of time, he needed them to help stall the trial until an investigation into whoever gave Ahsoka the clue was found. He had tried going to the Chancellor first with these plans but like Padmé he had been occupied with overseeing the trial and was unable to be reached by comm or holo-call. 

The green light above the entry door to the council chambers lit up and he squared his shoulders as he prepared his speech, well more like tirade, to the give the council. As the door opened he walked in with long strides only to be barreled over from behind as soon as he crossed over the threshold and the door closed behind him. His quick reflexes stopped him from falling as he looked around to see the shocked faces on some of the council, Master Windu continued to look like he had an everlasting thorned stick up his ass, seriously did he ever even smile? As he turned to see the frantic and tear-stricken face of Barriss Offee. 

She was gasping for breath and looked extremely panicked. Master Unduli gracefully rushed into the chamber after her late padawan, now Jedi knight, with an inquiring look on her face, “Barriss,” she asked, carefully approaching her student as if Barriss were some wounded animal.

Over in the corner, Obi-wan seemed to be slyly trying to get Anakin’s attention. His face was pinched in a way that Anakin hadn’t seen since Qui-gon had died. He was pleadingly looking at him, his force signature was sending as many soothing waves as it could towards him as their bond stressed to him, please, please keep calm. But there was something else in their bond, deep painful sorrow, and remorse. Anakin wasn’t sure what any of this meant. On his wrist, his comm was beeping, Padmé, she must have news about Ahsoka, though he would have to call her back as tensions in the chamber felt as if it were on the precipice of demise and downfall. 

“Please you have to stop it,” Barriss pleaded at the council, her eyes stayed fixed on Master Yoda in his chair as she spoke.

Before Yoda could speak Anakin choked out, “Stop what, exactly?”

Barriss was was so frantic that she didn’t take notice of Anakins anger nor the council’s trepidation in the force.

“Please, I didn’t know that this was going to happen! It wasn’t supposed to come to this! I never meant for-” She stopped mid-sentence to heave a sob, “this to happen to her!”

“Her?” Anakin legs were moving to stand before Barriss before he even finished his first question. He knew that Barriss had to be talking about Ahsoka. Barriss usually was a very calm and collected Jedi knight and wouldn’t easily be caught up by her emotions, he knew that she and Ahsoka were close friends, but the fact that she was crying added volume to her words. “What does this have to do with Ahsoka? What do you know?” He had grasped her at the shoulders and was yelling at her, desperate for some answers.

“Skywalker, control yourself, you must.” Yoda left no other option in his request for Anakin to stand down and away from his assault on Barriss. “Knight Offee, more to say, you do, hmm?”

Barriss was openly crying now, “It was me, I was the one who bombed the temple,” Luminara just stared in shock at her former padawan, as did most of the council, even Windu, though not to the same extent as the others.

“Please, I never thought that she would be taken to trial, I just thought that she would be expelled and sent to Agricorps or something! I never wanted her dead! Please, you have to stop it!” She begged the council. “I’m the guilty one, not her.”

“You? You are the one responsible for all of this? You are the one who set Ahso-,” he paused as her words completely registered in his head, “What do you mean dead?” The force slashed out as he roared, “Answer me!” His comm continued to beep on his arm.

“Skywalker-,” Master Windu began before he was cut off by Obi-wan with a sharp look.

“Anakin,” he began softly, “Earlier this afternoon at Ahsokas trial the court went into recess so that the jury could come up with a verdict for Ahsoka. She was sent to a holding cell while she was waiting for the final verdict.” Obi-wan paused. “After some deliberation, the jury decided unanimously that Ahsoka was guilty, on all charges placed against her.”

“What, no, she, I-” Anakin couldn’t get any words out, his disbelief evident on his face and in his bond with Obi-wan. His ears were ringing and it felt like everything else in the room faded out as he solely focused on what his master was saying. 

Obi-wan cleared his throat as his voice got thicker, “After this verdict was announced to the Chancellor he called for punishment by execution.” Obi-wan paused in his explanation as he looked at the back corner of the chambers were Commander Fox was standing silently. “And it seems that after Ahsoka was informed of her sentencing in her holding cell, she tried to escape and in the process, was shot and killed.”

“No, no, no, no, that’s not possible-,” He stuttered out as his feet stumbled backward. He frantically reached out into the force to find his bond with Ahsoka to find, nothing. It was gone. Not even broken or torn apart, but gone, it was as if it had never existed. Obi-wan was now standing reaching for him.

Barriss wailed as she looked wide-eyed at the council, “I was too late..”

Anakin turned towards her, suddenly shockingly still as his rage built and churned behind his eyes. “She was your friend,” he spoke softly, “How could you do this?”

“ I did it... because I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize: that the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war. That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict. That we are the ones that should be put on trial, all of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become: an army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It's only a matter of time.”

“And you were what? Too cowardly to take responsibility of your own actions in the first place? You just had to pin it on Ahsoka to make you feel better about the lives that you ruined? The people that you killed, and for what? So that you could make a point? How dare you! Ahsoka is dead now because of you! Because of your weakness and cowardice! Ahsoka was ten times the Jedi that you could have ever hoped to be and you stripped that away from her, to further your own purpose.” His voice rose with every word as the ringing in his ears grew louder and louder. The whole room was shaking now with his anger.

“Anakin…” Obi-wan tried to reach a hand out to touch his shoulder in some effort of support but he quickly slapped it away before turning his attention towards the council. 

“And you…” He turned on his heel so that he could address the council as a whole. “ You all so easily believed that she was guilty, you wouldn’t even listen to her.”

Windu suddenly stood, as well as Master Plo Koon, “Obviously there has been a great betrayal done, and while I believe that the council is saddened and partially guilty of Ahsoka’s demise, you can’t ignore how well put the case was against her. The evidence, her escape from prison, consorting with Ventriss,” Windu trailed off after a particularly nasty look from Master Plo and sat back down.

“ This can’t be happening, this isn’t true, it must be another one of the councils lie.” Anakin was muttering to himself. Padmé he needed to get to Padmé, she would know the truth. She would be able to tell him this wasn’t real. She would be able to wake him up from this nightmare, and then he would be able to go see his Snips.

“Anakin, please…” Obi-wan pleaded, “I am so sorry-”.

“NO!” He yelled out, the floor beneath him cracking under the strain of the lashing force that poured out of him. He quickly ran out of the chambers towards his speeder. He needed to get to Padmé, now.

His speeder screeched to a halt outside the 500 Republica. He didn’t care that he had just broken every possible traffic violation on his way here. He basically threw himself out of it, rushing towards the entrance.

As soon as he entered the main building and started on his way up towards Padmés office, he was stopped by probably the last person he wanted to see. 

“Ah, Anakin my boy!”, Palpatine smiled before his face sobered up, “Look I’ve been trying to contact you for a-”.

“You ordered her to be executed?” Anakin asked. This was a man that he had trusted and respected ever since he had started his Jedi training. He went to Palpatine for advice when the council or Obi-wan failed to help him. Kriff, he had asked him for help regarding Ahsokas trial! “My padawan?”

“Yes, I’m so sorry my boy, surely you understand that it was in the Republics’ best interest to-”.

“The Republics’ best interest? How is a seventeen-year-old girl’s execution in the Republics’ best interest?” Anakin gaped at the Chancellor, “I thought that I could trust you.”

Palpatine’s face dropped. “Now Anakin-,” he started.

“Well Chancellor,” Palpatine twitched at the obvious insult, Anakin had been calling him excellency ever since his term of Chancellor had begun. “You’ll be happy to know that the real culprit just turned herself into the Jedi Council, and confessed to both the bomb and setting Ahsoka up.”

He cast one last glance at the Chancellor before walking past him throwing over his shoulder, “You just killed my innocent padawan.”

Padmé was waiting for him in her office, thankfully alone, when he got there.

“Ani,” she began, “I am so, so sorry.” It was obvious to him that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had taken her hair out of its perfect updo, something she never did outside of her apartment. “I tried so hard, but the jury favored Tarkin’s address over mine,” she sobbed as she ran into his arms, he held her tightly as the ears in his eyes fell past his cheeks and into her hair. “She must have been so scared..”

Anakin tried swallowing his sobs down, but it was futile. They stood together in grief, lost for words.

“And it was all for nothing,” he began to say. Padmé looked up at him questioningly, “Her friend at the temple, Barriss just turned herself into the Council and admitted to everything.” He swallowed as he staggered over towards the couch, Padmé followed him and sat down next to him, reaching for his flesh hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. “She was innocent.” He trailed off looking nowhere in particular. “And she was betrayed.”

Padmé’s tears began anew, looking down, “The Republic failed today… I failed today.”

“No, Padmé no.” he cupped her face in both hands and brought their foreheads together. “You fought for her when no one else did.” He choked out. 

She looked at him, “So did you.”

His lower lip began to wobble, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“I know Ani, I know.” And held him tighter.

Presently

The blue lines of hyperspace flashed past her as she stared out the viewport window on the small passenger shuttle she was on. Sylvie had gotten Eva to make her a fake identity and give her a one-way ticket to Lothal. Eva had kept Ahsoka’s original fake name, Ashla, and had given her a new surname, Grace. After Sylvie had healed her up as best she could with her supplies (which included an after pill that would take care of any STDs or possible pregnancies) she had told her the plan to get her off Corusant. Ahsoka had worried, thinking about how to pay both her and Eva back for their help, but Sylvie assured her that there was no need to pay her back. She just asked that Ahsoka spend her time on Lothal healing and finding purpose, whatever that meant. 

Before boarding the shuttle they had given her a change of clothes (all muted beige colors and a long white cloak that would have made Jedi wardrobe conformity proud), some ration bars, a bacta patch or two, and Sylvie had sneaked her a few credits to get help her get her feet moving once she arrived. 

It was nerve-racking getting off of Corusant, but apparently the republic announced that she had been killed trying to escape so the bounty and watch posters for her had evaporated and moved on to their next most wanted. There was a lot of time between Corusant and Lothal, so she curled up as best she could in her seat and closed her eyes.

Sleep came almost too quickly with a serene black space behind her lids.

“Hello, Ahsoka.” A woman said to her in her dream.

She whirled around to see a towering, glowing woman with flowing green hair.

“Daughter?” She asked.

She smiled at Ahsoka and reached her hand out in offering, “Come, we have so much to talk about.”

Ahsoka took her hand and everything turned white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was so much angst, ugh I may have cried. 
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! And what did you think?


	4. Crossroads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry everyone for the late update! This chapter was really hard to write, I don't like it that much tbh. I had to rewrite it four times..... Anyways hope you guys enjoy the chapter, I'm excited to see how you like it!

The light was intense and blinding but faded away as quickly as it came leaving behind a breathtaking expanse of stars. She was standing on some kind of transparent platform that seemed to be shaped like a circle. There were three main paths that bridged out from the main circle then continued to branch out again and again, until there were an infinite amount of lines, far apart and seemingly alone, yet they were all intersecting at some point or another. Some paths came to sudden stops at large circular doors, no, not doors, windows. 

Daughter stood behind her, her presence in the force was calm, patient.

“What is this place?” 

She moved slowly around the platform, “It has many names, but the closest title it carries to its true purpose would be the world between worlds. It is a place of convergence. Time, reality, fate, they all coincide and interact within this place. If you go down this path for instance,” She pointed at a raised walkway above them, “It will take you to the exact moment of the fall of the Old Republic.”

“How- how is any of this possible?”

“The force works in mysterious ways,” she had a fond smirk on her face as she thought, “The Father always believed that the more you know about the force the less you can understand.” She laughed softly, “Brother and I always hated his little riddles, we could never make them out.” 

“But what does this- how did I?” Ahsoka pleaded at her, “What does this have to do with me? I’m not special, I’m not even a Jedi!”

Daughter put one of her hands on Ahsoka’s shoulder as the other gently framed her face, tilting it so that she had no choice but to look her in the eye.

“Because you are so much more.” She started strongly. “Here, come sit down with me.”

She led Ahsoka down to sit on the platform, legs crossed underneath them in imitation of one of the more popular meditation poses back at the temple on Corusant.

Ahsoka just looked at her, seriously this woman could rival Master Yoda with the resembling platitudes and ambiguous riddles.

“Ahsoka, you are more special than you realize, do you remember all of your time on Mortis?” She asked.

“Of course I do,” she replied with the utmost certainty. It had actually been Obi-wan who later explained to her about the Son’s possession, her dying, and then revival via Anakin and the Daughter. 

“When I transferred all of my light and power to you, your life force was irrevocably changed and altered. I poured my entirety into you, my gifts are there within you right now.” 

“But I don’t feel powerful, you must be wrong,” Surely if she had had access to such powers she wouldn’t have had to suffer at Tarkin’s hand. 

“They are there, you just need the right training to use them,” she said sufficiently. “Ahsoka, listen to me very carefully now. You are not weak, what the man did to you was horrible and cruel, but you are alive. You might feel like he stripped away at everything that made you, you, but he couldn’t take all of it.”

“Was it you who saved me from him?”

“Yes, that was not to be your death.”

“Wait, you know how I am going to die?”

“That’s not really important right now, but believe me, you’re going to have a very long life.” She smiled at her, with a slight wink. 

She looked down at her hands in her lap, “So what happens now?

Anakin and Padmé had stayed up late into the night, their grief too fresh on their minds. Anakin had tossed his comm off the balcony after listening to the endless cacophony of beeps that came with each call. He was in no mood for the council, the Chancellor, or Obi-wan. By morning, Padmé had called her assistants as well as several other colleagues that she had within the Senate, to inform them that she would be taking some time off to deal with family issues. No one had brought up any issues with it, Padmé was very well known for throwing herself into her work, often going above and beyond standard hours to do so. 

They both sat on the couch quietly nursing on cups of caf, as their thoughts consumed them. The reality of it all had hit them with a devastating blow. Ahsoka was gone. Bail Organa had been kind enough to go down to the courthouse where they had killed Ahsoka, to recover her body, only to discover that it had already been cremated per regulations. So now here they were, trying to figure out a way to give Ahsoka some kind of a funeral, without a body.

A loud, wet shattering rang through the air as Anakin threw his cup against the wall closest to him, shuddering as his head fell into his hands, fingers gripping at his hair. 

“Ani…” Padmé began, “We’ll figure something out.”

He opened his mouth to quip out a response but was interrupted by a loud precise knock at Padmé’s front entrance. They both shared a quick glance of horror between them as they realized that C3-Po was stationed at that entrance and was programmed to open the door and let people in. 

Anakin leaped off of the couch, jumping across small tables and chairs as he sprinted towards the entrance in a wild scramble. 

He was too late.  
“No. that’s alright 3Po, we can see ourselves in, thank you,” Obi-wan curtailed the nervous droid as he and Rex walked into the apartment. They both stopped short at the sight of Anakin.

Anakin couldn’t remember if he had ever seen Obi-wan so disheveled and tired, his old master looked like he had aged thirty years in one day, it wasn’t a good look on him. He’d obviously not slept last night, given the heavy, dark bags underneath his eyes and his disheveled hair. Even his robes, constantly in a state of orderliness, were loose and looked like he had worn them down. 

Rex on the other hand, well Rex had always been difficult to read, his tells and quips had always been small and seldom seen. But Anakin could see it in his eyes now, the man was in agony. They were dull as if every weight that had been on his shoulders from the war had doubled in their efforts to crush him. Ahsoka had been his commander and friend, kriff, the man helped Anakin teach her for force sakes! And she had been murdered by the Republic, something that Rex had literally been created and programmed to protect. 

Rex offered up a measly, “General,” before the silence between the three stood once more.

Padmé, ever his saving grace, slowly glided up behind Anakin, “Master Kenobi, Captain Rex,” she nodded slightly at the two, “this is not the best time, perhaps-”

“Leave Obi-wan,” it wasn’t a request. Anakin was not in the mood to be trifled with right now.

“General-,” Rex began before Obi-wan held up a respectful hand to silence the clone.

“I know that I am probably the last person that you want to see right now, and I don’t blame you for feeling that way. What happened to Ahsoka-,” his hands dropped helplessly to his sides, “I tried to convince the council that she was innocent, I swear Anakin I tried too, but the evidence and circumstances, the council wouldn’t hear what I had to say! And I realize now that both you and Ahsoka probably thought that I aligned with the council’s judgment-” Obi-Wan never ranted, not once not ever. Seeing him like this emboldened Anakin to step closer to him, opening their bond a little more with each step. Obi-Wan’s words rang with truth and grief. “When I heard of what had happened to her I- I didn’t want to believe that it was real. I-I couldn’t believe that it was real, because if it was it meant that not only would I lose Ahsoka, but I would lose you too, and I can’t! I can’t lose anymore! You’re my brother Anak-,” he was cut off by the ensnaring of Anakin’s arms around his shoulders.

Obi-Wan sank into the embrace, his bond wide open and while they still had a long way to go in terms of healing, but they had found their start. It was impossible to tell whose shoulder started to quake first, or whose tears fell before the others. Padmé gave a sad, affectionate look towards Rex before joining into the hug, wrapping an arm around each man, as she rested her cheek against her husband’s shoulder, “Come on,” she mouthed at Rex. He only had a moment to panic and recall standard GAR regulations on hugging before he was tugged directly against Padmé’s side framing his generals and the senator. 

“I miss her,” Anakin whispered, only to be hugged tighter in agreement.

The first thing she noticed about Lothal was the quiet. Even the gusts of winds across the grassy plains were silent. Daughter had woken her up in time for the ship to begin its descent onto Lothal. She had slipped out that Ahsoka needed to find the entrance, whatever that meant, before disappearing. 

The transport had dropped them off at what seemed to be the city-center hub in the middle of nowhere. She had gathered the few possessions that she had and started her search for a place to stay.

Lothal was a farming planet, there wasn’t really any kind of tech industry or shipyards to look for work in, and the ones that were there weren’t hiring (she had asked around immediately after getting off the shuttle). Her original plans for living here was to find a mechanic job of some kind, it was honestly the only thing she knew how to do outside of being a Jedi, or a soldier. So here she was, munching on a jogan fruit as she perused that farmers market. There was an older human ahead of her that seemed to be having trouble with her cargo, 

“Here, let me get that for you.” The box was light enough for her, she managed to get it onto the woman’s speeder with little fuss.

“Oh! Thank you, I’m not as young as I used to be, that’s for sure,” the woman laughed to herself. “The name’s Jayna.” She held out her hand. Ahsoka met it with a firm grasp as they shook gently. “I’m Ashla, Ashla Grace.”

“Well, miss Ashla Grace, what brings a Togruta like yourself all the way out here to Lothal?”

“I’m just looking for some peace and quiet, figured Lothal had plenty of that,” she huffed out a quick smirk.

Jayna gave Ahsoka a smirk in return, “There are two reasons as to why someone comes to Lothal, and that’s to farm or to run from something. And you’re no farmer, so what are you running from?”

“Something- I- something bad happened to me and I couldn’t- there wasn’t- I just needed to get away.”

Jayna gave her a sympathetic look, “Do you have somewhere to stay for the night?”

“No,” she admitted, “I just got here.”

“Hmm, you a hard worker? Not afraid to get your hands dirty?”  
“Yes, no, why?”

“Well, I’m needing some help around my farm, and I was going to put an ad out, but if you’re willing to work, ill give you a bed, some food, and all the peace and quiet you want.”

She moved around the front of the speeder, where Jayna was getting behind the wheel, “Really? Yes, please! Thank you!”

“Come on kid,” Jayna smiled at her, “get in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it lol
> 
> pls comment they make me so happy to hear that you guys like this!


	5. Untethered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo Here We Go!!!!!!!

Padmé ended up ordering takeout from Dex’s for all of them, they were all clearly exhausted. Their meal went by in silence, each one lost to their thoughts. Anakin was in the process of biting into his bantha burger when Obi-Wan broke the silence,

“I’ve stepped down from my position on the council.”

Anakin choked, “What?!”

Even Padmé and Rex had stopped eating in shock as they all turned to gape at him.

“I’ve rescinded my seat on the council,” he repeated.

“But you-,” 

Obi-Wan set his food down on the small table in front of him before speaking again.

“I have spent my entire life dedicated to the code and ways of the Jedi, to the ways of the Force and peace. But ever since this war has started I’ve begun to have doubts about the code. How could I go into battle, and lead men to their deaths without feeling some responsibility, some attachment towards them? How can I face these atrocities and then just let them go? To believe that the force meant for this to happen, and to follow it without question,” he sighed heavily, “Master Yoda is always reminding us to trust in the force, to promote peace, and yet remain indifferent to what happens around us and to us.”

“I had been struggling, questioning… And every time I felt lost, I tried to be the good Jedi that everyone seems to think I am. When Qui-gon died and I took you as my padawan, I knew deep down that I would never be the perfect Jedi, though I tried… and I thought that you needed me to be, for the council’s sake, for Qui-gons memory, but you never needed that.” He was looking directly at Anakin now. “You are everything I ever hoped I could be- you don’t hide behind pretense and protocol, you love freely and strongly, and it makes you all the better man, a better Jedi. And I realized yesterday that I failed as your master, I failed in raising you, I deceived you, disappointed you… And I am so sorry for that Anakin. That’s why I stepped down from the council. I failed you and Ahsoka, and I couldn’t stay on the council anymore knowing that I did nothing to deserve a spot there.”

They were all at a loss for words. Hearing such discourse falling from Obi-Wan’s lips was too unreal, he was a pillar of Jedi standards. Anakin had even thought that Obi-Wan had been created solely to be the perfect Jedi, never faltering in his position. 

“You doubt the code?” Anakin was shocked.

“It is hard to follow something that clearly doesn’t make sense, not to me at least,” he reflected on his thoughts, “The code says that there is only peace, but no emotion, serenity, but no passion, harmony but no chaos. Each of these is contradictory to themselves. Peace can be found through emotion, serenity can coincide along with passion, and in order for harmony to exist chaos must exist too, one simply cannot wipe out the other or they would both cease to exist.”

“So you don’t think that having emotions makes for a bad Jedi?”

Obi-wan gave him a sly, indifferent look. It was one of his usual expressions for whenever he was dealing with one of Anakin’s usual antics.

“If that was your sly way of asking whether or not I approved of your relationship with Senator Amidala, then I’m afraid you are in need of more diplomacy and negotiation lessons my old padawan. You are quite terrible at hiding your motives, or lying for that matter,” he trailed off enjoying the chocked sputtering of his former student and the scarlet blush that blossomed on the senator’s face as she whipped her head around to stare at Anakin. Rex just sat on the couch enjoying the confrontation between his general and Kenobi. He couldn’t help but think about how much Ahsoka would have loved to see this discussion, there had been a long-standing bet between her and the rest of the clones of the 501st on when Skywalkers relationship would be found out, he was pretty sure that Fives and Ahsoka bet on Obi-wan calling them out, but he’d have to check with Kix to make sure, he kept a record of all of that sort of thing.

“You know?!?!”

“Well, honestly Anakin, it’s not like you hid it well. You were always sneaking out of the temple, you had all these mysterious calls on missions, and you went haywire anytime the senator was in or near trouble. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that you two had some kind of relationship going.” He chuckled, “I’m honestly surprised that no one else noticed.”

Rex cut in, “The 501st and 212th know, I’m pretty sure that Wolffe and some of his wolfpack know too. Commander Tano actually started a bet in the 501st on when the secret would come out.” He smiled bittersweetly.

“Ahsoka knew?” Padmé turned to Rex.

“Commander- Ahsoka,” he remembered suddenly that she wasn’t his commander anymore, “never doubted your relationship, she used to joke around with the boys on how stupid the general’s excuses to see you were. She thought it was obvious.”

Anakin intercepted, “But I thought I had hidden it so well!”

Padmé nodded in agreement, she had taken all kinds of precautions in keeping their relationship under wraps, how could it have been so obvious?

Rex picked up on the Generals and senators confusion, as well as general Kenobi’s curiosity, “She had suspicions ever since the Malevolence, but knew for sure after the Blue Shadow Virus debacle. Said the pheromones coming off of you two were off the charts.” After General Skywalker had gotten his young padawan, Kix had had to do extensive research into Togruta biology in order to better prepare for any injury she might receive in the field. Kix’s knowledge had come in handy when a good handful of Torrent crew was tricked into believing that Togrutas were venomous, curtesy of Commander Tano, and weren’t able to relax until Kix had given them the Togruta 101. 

“She never said anything,” Anakin trailed off.

“She figured that you’d tell her when you were ready, or you’d be forced to admit it if someone caught you,” Rex smirked.

They all smiled poignantly. Each lost in the memories of the one they had lost.

“So what happens now?” Padmé voiced. “I know that I am going to have to fight both Tarkin and the Chancellor on repealing her guilty verdict, and repealing their judgment to the senate and the press. She deserves to have her name cleared.”

The men around her nodded in agreement, “I guess for me the war continues on,” Obi-Wan sighed, turning to Anakin, “After you left, the council deduced that Barriss had been supported by Dooku and the Separatists. I know how much the war affected Ahsoka, and how much it meant to her to end the conflict,” he affirmed his face, “So I’d like to finish that fight for her, for her memory.”

Rex stood, “Count me and the 501st in General,” before looking towards his general, “General?”

Anakin had long been standing by the window staring out at the city before him pensive in his thoughts. He looked up to see his wife, his master, and his captain looking to him. 

“Padmé and I got married shortly after the first battle on Geonosis on Naboo.” He blurted out. He felt as if he needed to get out everything he had ever held back from Obi-Wan. “I’ve loved her ever since she met me in that shop on Tattoine, she makes me feel like I’m my own person, and it has made me all the better, all the stronger.” He looked at his wife lovingly, “I’ve never regretted loving her, and I never will.”

“Married?” Obi-Wan laughed, “I’m honestly not even surprised!”

“Kix will be happy that’s for sure,” Rex laughed as they all turned to him, “He kept saying that you guys were married!”

They all laughed despite themselves, and around them, the force swam contentedly, at peace and tranquil. 

Anakin sobered, “My mother is dead,” Obi-Wan stopped short, “I had had these visions of her death before the clone wars started. Padmé and I slipped away from our assignment to hide out on Naboo to find her.” He swallowed heavily, “She had been taken by Tusken Raiders…. When I found her she only lasted a few moments before dying in my arms.”

“Oh Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed before moving to grasp at Anakin’s shoulders, offering some comfort.

“I slaughtered that entire village! All of them! I was so angry!” Bitter tears burned in his eyes, threatening to fall, “And then I looked down and they were all dead. The men, the women, the kids….”

Obi-Wan thought slowly, “Do you regret it?”

Anakin shuddered, “Every day.”

Obi-Wan pulled back to look at his old apprentice in the eyes. “I’m not going to tell you that what you did was okay. But she was your mother, and you loved her,” A tear escaped his eyes, “But I am so happy that you told me.”

“You’re not angry at me?”

“I could never be angry at you. Exasperated, definitely.”

His snide comment earned him a playful smack to his shoulder. They drew apart, but their bond was solid, strong.

“I want to end this war, for Snips.” He said with conviction. 

“And we will,” Padmé assured.

“What about the council? I can’t, I can’t just put my trust in them anymore Master.”  
“I should think that the council will be reeling from everything that has happened for a while, but they cannot afford to lose either of us. My leaving the council will be a definitive shock to most, if not all of them…” He stroked his beard, “We should be given some extended leeway, and should the council has any issues, we’ll deal with it together, no matter what.”

And that was that.

Furious beeps and clicks echoed across the room. She had been hard at work for the past week and a half. Bypassing, re-circuiting, following trails, and digging up dusty breadcrumbs.

“Did you find it?” Sylvie asked.

“Whoever deleted the footage did a pretty good job at covering their tracks,-”

“So that’s a no?”

“I said they did a pretty good job,” she smirked as she popped another moon chip into her mouth, “I’m better than a pretty good job.”

“Will everyone be able to see it?”

“Oh, they’ll see it, but the recovered footage was too encrypted to get any audio, but it’s not like those bantha shits bothered with hiding their identities.” She twirled around to her main computer screen, “This is going to go out all across the galaxy, everyone will see what happened to her…”

“Good, then something will actually happen.”  
“But, this is going to expose her on a level that should never be vulnerable like that,” She pinched her nose between her fingers, “I don’t feel good about putting her out like this…”

“I’m afraid that there isn’t really a choice. You’ve tried getting into the Temple’s mainframes and failed.” She shook her head despaired, “They are still saying that her death was ok in the eyes of the Republic, no one knows what really happened except for you, me, and Ahsoka.” She sat down at one of the other chairs in the room, “I have seen too many women and children go forgotten down here, without justice… I would just like for once to be able to give someone the truth and justness that they deserve.”

Eva looked at her screens, all she had to do was hit send.

“When this gets out, it can be traced back to us,” She looked to Sylvie for the last confirmation.

And with one solemn nod, it was done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These boys finally talked, jeez everyone needs therapy! And the plot thickens...
> 
> I hope you guys liked it!


	6. Truth Hurts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here We Go!

Working on the farm made it easy to forget. Her days started well before dawn and ended long after sundown. The backbreaking chores were never-ending and offered a quiet stillness to her thoughts, she was far too preoccupied with the boundless amount of chores that needed to be done. Her nights, however, haunted her. From the moment she closed her eyes all she could see was Tarkin’s manic look of glee, all she could hear was the laughter and taunts from Tarkin’s two brutes, and all she could feel was their hands on her body, taking, beating, ripping her apart. She usually woke up screaming and was grateful that she had been given a small area in the barn to sleep in, otherwise she worried she might have frightened Jayna. She had been staying at the farm for almost a month and a half. She rarely spoke to Jayna, but the old woman was a private person who enjoyed the quiet, so it was rarely an issue. 

She thought about the people she had left behind on Coruscant often. Master Plo, Padmé, the Clones, Rex, Master Obi-Wan, Anakin, she even missed good ole’ R2. She liked to try to remember the good memories whenever her nightmares were keeping her from rest. But it felt like those memories were being shadowed and darkened. The lagging feelings of betrayal and hurt were with her constantly. Daughter turned out to be a dead-end disappointment as she had yet to reappear to Ahsoka since she arrived on Lothal. And as far as the rest of the galaxy was concerned, Ahsoka Tano died a guilty woman. There had been a report done a few days after her so-called execution by the Jedi Council that reported Barriss as the true culprit of the bombing, being supported by Separatist regimes, but most of the republic just saw it as a way for the Jedi to cover their own reputations. She hadn’t been able to watch much of the holo news after that, reeling from the fact that her best friend framed her for something so horrible.

It was just turning dusk when Jayna called out to her, “Ashla!”

“Yeah?” She said as she came towards her, rubbing some dirt off of her hands on her pants.

“Can you run into town for me? I need you to pick up some of my medicine from the pharmacist, I would go but the speeders carburetor isn’t working again, and I can’t walk that distance with my knees.”

Kriff, one of the best things about working out on the farm was the lack of interaction with people. When she had first started working with Jayna the woman was more than happy to send her for simple errands, but it became difficult for her to be in public, especially around men. All she could think about when she was around them was what had happened to her. And after a couple of near panic attacks, she had asked to never be sent out again. 

“Can you just wait for me to fix the carburetor? I can have it running by first thing tomorrow morning!” Anakin had been a great teacher in ship maintenance, something they had both enjoyed doing during any quiet times on the Resolute between missions.

“Sorry dear, I need that medicine otherwise my lungs will put up quite the fuss, I’ve called ahead and made sure that it’s just Alayah working right now. The pharmacy is closed anyways so it’ll just be you and her.”

Thank the galaxy for small mercies. The town wasn’t too far on foot, so it wouldn’t take long to get there and back.

“I shouldn’t be too long,” she assured, as she started off towards town at a brisk pace.

The wind swept across her face as the breeze left the grassy plains disturbed and unsettled from their standard vertical stances. A small brown Lothcat made a few chirps as it scrutinized her as she coursed by it. The cats on Lothal were playful and curious, occasionally irate but that was when something was making ‘em mad. They were one of the few joys she had found during her stay on Lothal, their presence soothed her when she was out working in the fields.

The small town came into view, hushed and slow in the late evening hour. She quickly made her way into the pharmacy where Alayah was waiting for her with a small parcel.

She quickly grabbed the medicine and with a small smile, left as quickly as she had come. Barely grasping a look at her reflection in the store's window. That girl in the reflection was a far cry from the Jedi who commanded troops and fought countless battles, the only girl she saw was a mere hint of the strong-willed snippy Togruta she used to be. And in her place, a shell.

The little Lothcat was still in the same place it had been when she had passed by it the first time, except this time it followed her with sad old eyes. She shrugged off the cat's gaze as the farm came into view. 

“Jayna?” she called out as she got closer towards the woman's small home. “I’m back from the pharmacist and I’ve got your medication, I’m just gonna leave it here on the-”

She was cut off as she looked up to see the woman standing silently in the entryway. She cursed herself for not sensing her standing there, “Whoa, you snuck up on me,” She gave a small laugh as she looked at Jayna. “Jayna, are you ok?”

Jayna was frozen, her eyes wide, aghast, and slowly filling with tears. On instinct Ahsoka immediately went into protection mode, fearing that there was some kind of danger that had threatened the woman. Jayna just took a shaky step forward towards Ahsoka as she nervously wrung her hands. She reached out towards her but stopped harshly as if shocked, and reeled back with a sobbing gasp. 

“Oh,” She sobbed as one of her hands came up to cover her mouth, “I am so sorry!”

Ahsoka didn’t understand, “What are you sorry about? It’s ok! I made it to the pharmacy and back no problem! I only saw Alayah for like a second!”

Jayna just sobbed again, and her breath rattled as she spoke again, “It was so horrible!”

“What was?”

“I was just watching the holo news while I waited for you to come back…. you poor thing!”

She was at a loss, what could Jayna possibly know? And what did it have to do with her? No one here knew her real name.

“I knew that you were running from something horrible, but I didn’t want to press, I thought you would tell me if you felt you needed to, and your screams… oh your screams, I knew that the horror that was done to you had to be atrocious, but I had no idea!”

Ahsoka was shocked, she thought that she slept far enough away from Jayna to silence her night terrors. A distant noise came from the living area as Jayna kept rambling on, it was the holoTV. There was a handsome human reporter on a screen next to a video clip. And she stopped dead for rights as she took in what was playing on the screen. 

The medicine dropped from her hands as she stared at the screen with absolute horror. There, for everyone across the galaxy to see on their holoTV was her being stripped naked and brutally raped in her cell. The reporter was saying something but no words were registering in her head. It was like she was right back in that cell with their faces sneering above her as she desperately fought them off to no avail, only succumbing to their remorseless onslaughts and fists. It felt like all of the walls around her were closing in around her as her vision swam. 

Get out, get out, get out, GET OUT!

She turned tail and ran, not stopping at Jaynas kind hands as she pleaded for her to stay, not stopping when she passed by the small barn where she had been staying, or the small Loth cat who watched from its perch on the fence. 

Getaway, she had to get away. 

Tarkin's laugh and moans rang in her head as tears streamed from her eyes. Her feet stumbled as she clumsily ran across the dull landscape of Lothals plains. But she kept running, even when the moon rang high in the sky, even when her breath burned with each step, even when she couldn’t see past her own tears, and she kept on moving even when her feet gave from underneath her, and her legs refused to stand. Panic still rang in her mind and all she wanted was to get away, but as her body weakened and the humiliation swept in, she stopped. She stopped and sobbed and screamed with whatever breath she still had left in her lungs, hands tearing at the dirt beneath her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. So she curled up there, in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the voices of her nightmares and the phantoms of their cruelty.

There had been times during this war that Yoda felt like his age. The death, the path the Jedi seemed to be following, the ever-present dark side of the force. But he had never felt more old and weathered than he did now. His hands gripped his small cane in grief and shame as he looked around the council chamber at his fellow masters beside him. Obi-Wan's empty chair sung with discord as the rest of the council processed the information recently bestowed to them. Some of the council were here on Coruscant, others star systems away fighting another battle, their blue forms were silent and solemn. 

“Make contact with Master Kenobi and Skywalker I will,” he said, at last, breaking the silence, “Travel to Cato Neimoidia, I will deliver the news.” 

“Neither of them are going to take this well, it’s bad enough that we haven’t been able to locate Tarkin or identify his two ‘associates’,” Windu spat out. He sighed heavily. 

Ahsoka's ordeal had been a true disaster and regret of the council. Most of them had believed her to be guilty, only to be hammered when Barriss, a quiet, exemplary example of a Jedi had come forward as the true criminal. He himself had been finding trouble in his meditation as of late, the events of what had transpired occupying his thoughts, and those on the council. A Jedi Padawan thrown at a court who found her guilty of a crime she didn’t commit and executed her, added to Obi-Wan's subsequent self-removal of his council seat, had been quite the blow. Now their regrets only deepened with the reveal of what had truly happened before Ahsoka's death. 

“I will handle the search for Tarkin,” Master Plo growled from his seat. 

“Plo,” Windu consoled softly, Ahsoka had been found and brought to the Temple by Plo when she was a child, and they had shared a special bond ever since. Even coming up with their own signature greeting phrase towards each other. Most of the council even had some bets on Plo taking her on as a Padawan. 

Master Plo just stood up and stalked across the room, “I’ve already asked Wolffe to collaborate with Commander Fox to identify and find the other two in the video.” And the door shut swiftly behind him.

“Go, I must, before news of this reaches Skywalker and Kenobi on the battlefield.”

Master Mundi spoke up, “They’ve been having a serious communication blackout due to the massive blockades. It'd be near impossible for them to have access to any news.”

“Good, “ he mumbled as he hobbled out of the room, “The truth is hard enough to take, even coming from someone you know.”

There was an endless amount of shell fire ringing in the air as droids continued to march towards their lines of defense. After Obi-Wan had stepped down from the Council, they had been requested to deal with a dispute on Cato Neimoidia, they hadn't left since. The Separatists had come out with a new battle droid that was more resistant to the Clones standard blaster hits. Making their battles all the more difficult. He and Rex were in the middle of discussing a new strategy when Jesse approached.  
“I don't know General, we won't have many advantages with what firepower we have,” Rex drawled. 

Anakin sighed in frustration, it seemed like every plan he came up with was futile. 

“General, Captain,” Jesse saluted. “You’re both needed back at head camp.”

“Tell Obi-Wan that we're a little busy trying to figure out how to win this battle,” Anakin exhaled as he turned back to the holo-board.

“I’m sorry sir, but General Yoda was rather insistent.”

“Yoda?” Anakin and Rex looked at each other in surprise, “He’s here?”

“Yes sir. At head camp and waiting for both you and the Captain to come to see him.”

Anakin shook his head minutely as he whispered under his breath, “What does the little troll want now?”

Rex’s unimpressed look told him he hadn’t been as quiet as he’d hoped.

There wasn’t anyone around the head tent where he, Obi-Wan, Rex, and Cody had been making camp. And it was only them and Master Yoda who stood inside of it.

“Master Yoda,” Anakin said lightly, “I didn’t know you were coming.” As he leaned against one side of a map and crossed his arms across his chest.

Obi-Wan, Rex, and Cody were all in similar positions each posturing frustration, though Obi-Wan was the more subtle out of all of them. 

“Any news, have you seen?” Yoda asked.

“We’ve been a little pre-” Anakin was quickly cut off by his old master. “We’ve been quite busy with the new Separatist battle droids, they’ve been making are usual maneuvers risky. We’ve had no time, and no connection with any news station, to watch the news Master.”

Rex and Cody were each confused by the Grand Masters question, even for him it was a strange thing to say. That combined with the request to remove as many clones from the nearby premises, left more confusion and worry in their minds.

Yoda was quiet. Anakin and Obi-Wan gave each other bewildered looks, they had no idea what was up with Yoda but his signature in the force was difficult to comprehend. Hesitant, sad, unsure, worried.

“A recording there has been, sent out to all news stations in the immediate Republic. A recording of something that no one thought to look for.” Yoda began solemnly. 

“A recording?” Obi-Wan posed.

Yoda hummed agreeing. He looked right at Anakin, then Obi-Wan and the clones, then back to Anakin.

“Ahsoka Tano's execution, it would appear,” Yoda started.

“What,” Anakin spoke with cool rage. Obi-Wan gave him a quick look, before repeating the same question.

Yoda nodded and began to speak before Rex piped up, “Wait, you said appears to be,” He paused, “Sir.”

Anakin and Obi-Wan both looked to the Grand Master to explain his words.

“Murder it was,” His cane thumped on the ground softly as he adjusted his hands, “Much confusion the Council has had on Tarkin’s enthusiasm, reveal the video did his true intentions.”

“What happened to my padawan?” Anakin spat. The force crinkled around him. 

“Assaulted she was, in the most terrible way,” Yoda seemed to be choosing each of his words with as much delicacy as possible, “An assault of a sexual nature it was.”

The force cracked.

“What?” Choked out Obi-Wan. 

“Raped, repeatedly, young Ahsoka was in her holding cell by Tarkin and two other men we do not have the identity of,” Yoda said it like he was ripping off a bandage. “The recording I have with me-” The data disk in his hands was quickly snatched by Anakin and loaded into the player. “But caution young Skywalker, much anger, and fear-”

The video began playing and silence rang throughout the tent.

It began simply enough, Tarkin entering Ahsokas cell with two brutes standing behind him. Ahsoka, ever the defiant one (even in force binders) stood toe to toe with Tarkin, there was no sound on the video, but if he had to guess she was living up to her Snippy reputation. Then Tarkin started crowding Ahsoka back, his two goons going with him each step ‘til she was backed into a corner. Anakin watched as Tarkin landed the first blow, quickly followed by a torrent of punches and kicks from his goons as he slowly stripped and stalked across the room. 

When they began stripping her of her clothes, Obi-Wan swore. When Tarkin started to rape her, Rex punched at the wall. When he let his two goons at her, Anakin gagged. And when at the end of it all, when she was kneeling and staring down a gun in her face, and the video cut suddenly, Anakin crushed the holo display. 

The air was still. Shock, disgust, anger. Fury sang across the room. Obi-Wan in a rare display of anger swiped out with his lightsaber against some of the control modules. Rex stormed out of the room, only to be immediately followed by Cody. And Anakin, Anakin couldn’t move, and darkness washed over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like it! This chapter was so interesting to write!


	7. Let It Flow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me sad and bittersweet all at the same time!

“Commander Wolffe,” Plo addressed as he stepped into a control room specified for the 104th battalion to use. The rest of Wolffe’s immediate Wolfpack was there as well. 

He was immediately saluted by all the clones in the vicinity, “General,” rang loud and clear from each.

“What have you found, Commander?”

“I’m afraid sir, it's not much,’ He paused. “It seems like Tarkin was already off Coruscant before the video was released to the public. Commander Fox has confirmed that he was on Concordia when the video went viral and managed to slip away on a personal airship, which we are unable to track..” Wolffe was obviously agitated, like most of the rest of his brothers in the room. All of them had known Ahsoka well, the little ankle biter…”We’re still working to find the identities of his two associates, the ones that Tarkin gave the Senate building were fake, but we are running facial recognitions and should have something soon.”

“What about where the video came from?”  
“We’ve managed to locate the location of the original hacker to a halfway house on level 2900, we’re just waiting on you sir, airships are fueled and ready to fly.”

Plo nodded, “Good.”

Wolffe turned to his men, “Alright boys, move out!”

✧✧✧

Level 2900 was a hollow place, the air was rotted with the smell of sewage and garbage and was muffled from the turbulent noise that carried from the upper levels. There weren't too many people walking around the streets so it made landing much easier. Plo and Wolffe walked alongside each other as Wolffe read off directions of where to go. 

Plo suddenly stopped, “Something is wrong.” He said as he looked around at the surroundings. Immediately all of the clones went into defensive positions, ready for anything.

Plo breathed, “I sense a great tragedy….” He looked down at the transmitter Wolffe was holding, “How much further to the site?”

“Looks like it's only a couple of blocks due West sir,” Wolffe said, pointing his head quickly in that direction.

“Then we must hurry,” Plo commanded.

Wolffe quickly signaled some of the wolfpack to spread out and approach their target from different angles, they would need strategic advantages should an ambush occur. He quickly sent an alert to Fox as they made the final approach, should backup be required, the Coruscant guard would be quick to respond.

They all quickly made haste passing by several run-down shops and apartments, before Wolffe suddenly drew everyone to a halt.

“Commander?” Plo asked as he stepped up next to him.

“This is where the source was tracked from sir,” he said pointing at the burnt remains of an old apartment house.

“We must search for any survivors,” Plo instructed as he started lifting debris with the force and settling it into the street.

Wolffe motioned for some of the boys to help out and instructed one to contact Fox.

“Commander,” Plo called out.

“Yes General?”

“You’re going to have to inform Commander Fox to bring a coroner's hearse,” he said hoarsely, “There are bodies.”

Wolffe moved to stand next to his General as he looked down into the wreckage, there were at least seven bodies, all girls and women of different species. An old Twi-Lek woman seemed to have tried to shield a young Rodian girl from falling rubble. Plo knelt down next to a young human woman, her eyes were fixed open and there was a blaster mark on her chest, he closed her eyes with his fingers gently, then stood and left the scene as more clones from Coruscant guard showed up.

Plo and Wolffe stood next to each other silently, the General had always been a stoic Jedi, and it was damn near impossible to get a proper read on him, but they had fought enough battles with each other for Wolffe to have grasped some key ticks of the General. And right now, he was pissed.  
“We’ll get them General,” Wolffe assured, “We're not called the Wolfpack for nothing.” He smirked as he stared off into the distance. 

Plo sighed deeply next to him, “Then I think we should start hunting.”

Wolffe just looked at him and put on his helmet.

There was something sticking into the small of his back. He shifted around as he tried to move the offending appendage away, had he fallen asleep while tinkering in bed again? He rolled over hoping that it would be more comfortable sleeping on his stomach but was jolted awake as he was suckered right in his diaphragm from another piece. 

“OOF!” His breath spilled out of him as he rose into a semi crouched and seated position. Coughing he tried to blink his crusty eyes open, then moved to rub the dirt from his eyes. “Kriff..” he moaned. His head felt like it could burst and his body felt like molten lead. 

Opening his eyes he was appalled to see that he was surrounded by bits and pieces of B1 battle droids and decimated remains of the new battle droids that the Seppies had sent in, disdainfully nicknamed the ‘indoms by the boys in the 501st, due to their indestructible capabilities. 

The sky was filled with smoke, but there were no sounds of shell fire or blaster bolts. In fact, it was completely silent. The pounding in his head was almost unbearable and made him queasy whenever he tried to move. He moved to raise his right hand to push him towards his knees only to fall forward when he realized it was gone. The ripped ends closest to his elbow frayed and charred, clearly the result of a blaster shot. 

“Kriff,” he moaned. Trying once again he managed to get to his feet, albeit swaying. Stomach protesting his quick movement rolled as he fought back a gag. What had happened, the last thing he remembered was- oh… White-hot pain floored him as he remembered exactly what had happened in that tent, what he had seen. 

“Oh Snips,” he sobbed as he fell to his knees once again. All he could see was his padawan, the closest thing he’d ever get to a little sister, his Snips, get brutally beaten and, he shuddered, raped. The protests in his stomach could no longer be ignored and he threw up what little he had in his stomach. Sputtering and gasping as he dry heaved, he started to hear calls in the distance. Swiping his cheek against the cloth on his shoulder, he listened more carefully.

“ANAKIN!!” He heard, closely followed by shouts of ‘General Skylwaker’, then more ‘Anakin’s’. The calls were growing closer and closer as he struggled to get back to his feet in order to wave them down.

There was no need as all of a sudden something heavy launched itself against his side and wrapped him in an embrace, Obi-Wan. He was quick to cling back on the man. 

“Obi-Wan,” he sighed. Just being near his old master filled him with peace as Obi-Wan started to examine him. Playfully swatting his prying hands as he took in his old mentor. Obi-Wan looked worse for wear, the heavy bags underneath his eyes were nearly dark purple and he had never seen his master look more haggard. 

“What happened? How did I get here? Where is my arm? Wh-?” He began to rattle off to the older man before being stopped suddenly with a serious look.

“Anakin what do you remember?” He asked simply.

Anakin suddenly felt angry and withdrawn, “I remember watching the recording, and then it all went dark,” he trailed off.  
“I wasn’t there initially, I needed to step out...I couldn’t keep watching it. Seeing her like that, I-” He took a break, “I was standing outside when all of a sudden you let out such a powerful blast in the force. Angry, mighty… dark. I hadn’t felt anything like it since encountering the Son on Mortis. You blew the tent apart.” Anakin couldn't believe and tried to remember the events that transpired after everything had gone dark, eyes squinting as the pressure in his head expanded. Obi-Wan kept going though, “I saw you stalking out towards the battlefield, lightsaber at the ready. I was getting ready to stop you when you just unleashed!” He exclaimed.

“Unleashed?” Anakin asked unclearly.

“I have never in all my life seen such a powerful use of the force. It was breathtaking and terrifying at the same time seeing you like that-”

“Like what?”

“It was like you encompassed every ounce of the force, light and dark, and used it to unleash a power I could never have imagined. You alone single-handedly took out the entire Separatist army….” He was looking at Anakin in a terrified proud, awed sort of look.

It was starting to come back to him now. The overwhelming rage and grief that tore him apart at the seams. He ducked his head in shame, “Did I hurt anyone?”

“No, Anakin, no. Rex and Cody made sure that none of the clones would be in your path.”

“It was horrible,” he said. “All of that power, I felt like it was going to tear me apart.” He looked up at Obi-Wan as tears welled in his eyes.

Obi-Wan’s face sobered quickly as he grasped Anakin's face and brought their foreheads together, forcing Anakin to look him dead in the eyes. Anakin let his tears fall as he kept on, “ I was so angry! I couldn’t breathe, couldn't see, I-”

“What we saw, what happened to Ahsoka,” He took a deep breath, “Even for me my anger was- indescribable. Towards everything. Against Tarkin and the men with him, towards Barriss and the Separatists, towards myself for not doing enough.”

Anakin nodded in agreement as he listened intently, “I can still feel it,” He whispered softly.

“I know,” Obi-Wan whispered back. “I can still feel it too.”

Anakin shut his eyes.

“Anakin, I want you to try something for me.”

He looked up at Obi-Wan questionably. 

Obi-Wan gave him a sad smile, “Something Satine once taught me.”

Anakin's attention was now peaked and he nodded in affirmation.

“Close your eyes,” Obi-Wan instructed, he did, “And take a deep breath.”

Anakin felt a little miffed, meditation had never worked for him. Sensing his old padawans irritation he continued.

“This is not a meditation that a Jedi would normally use.” He replied.

“I want you to look back, look back to your mother. See her smile, feel her embrace… Can you see her?”

Anakin was thinking hard, “Yes, but I don’t understand-”

“Relax,” Obi-Wan instructed, “Breath, breathe with me.”

Their breathing started to synchronize as Anakin started to fall into a relaxed space.

“Look back on every happy moment you had with her, her love for you,” He paused as he took in more tears falling down Anakin's cheeks. “Don’t be upset at your memories, remember her for all the good she was, don't remain on her end. Focus Anakin, breathe.” Anakin did as such as a small warm feeling started in his chest. “Good Anakin, good. Now think of Padmé and all the love that you two share. The moments when you are at your happiest and most peaceful.” A small smile quirked at Anakin's lips. “Anakin,” he began, more serious, “remember Ahsoka.” Anakin immediately stiffened in Obi-Wan's hold.

“It's ok Anakin. Think of her laugh, her voice, her smile. Think of her brightness. Envision your memories of her in your mind. Can you do that?”

Anakin let out a stiff yes, as the feeling in his chest grew.

“Good,” he grasped Anakin tighter, “Now I want you to remember every moment that brought you pain. Your mother's death, the struggle of hiding your relationship, Ahsoka's death, all of it,” Anakin was vehemently shaking his head as a sickening feeling burgeoned in his stomach and festered out towards his whole body, threatening to swallow the feeling in his chest. 

“I can't, I can’t Obi-Wan,” He was hoarse as he spoke, “It's too much!”

“You can, you can Anakin were not done yet!”

Anakin was shaking in his arms.

“Anakin I need you to let go. Let go of the anger and pain, focus again on their love!”

The emotions within Anakin were indescribable. At battle with each other, his force presence spasmed back and forth from serene to feral.

“Let go Anakin! For Shmi’s love and sacrifice, for Padmè, For Ahsoka!” For me he added silently in his head.

And suddenly it just clicked for Anakin, and like that he released all of it. All the bad, all the anger and pain, his frustrations, doubts, and fears. The ground underneath them shook and strained, as the broken droids crumpled and disintegrated to dust. And as quick as it came, it left, leaving him loose, exhausted, and more at peace then he had been in his entire life. The bad memories and everything that encompassed them was still there in his mind but were no longer overbearing. Above him Obi-Wan was patting him on the back in a soothing manner, praising him.

“What, what just happened?” he asked.

Obi-Wan let out a small chuckle, “You just achieved what I’ve been trying in vain to teach you since day one, to let go. Only you let love guide you, not exactly the pursuit of peace and enlightenment that the Jedi teach.”

“I did?” He looked down at himself as if looking for some inherent change to his physical appearance. “But the anger, my memories, they’re all still there…”

“And they always will be. The funny thing about the past is that it never leaves us, and can end up haunting us. But it is when we acknowledge the bad along with the good, and let the good guide us, that we are able to move forward, to learn and grow.” He hugged Anakin tightly. “I am so proud of you.”

And they sat there together on the field until the sounds of approaching clones grew closer and closer. Anakin could spot Kix coming in fast.

“Obi-Wan?” he asked, getting a pleased hmm in return as Anakin felt his eyes drooping, “I love you too,” and slept.

Far away in a red office on Coruscant, several objects shattered as the Chancellor paced across the room. 

“Skywalker,” he hissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it!!!


	8. Broken Fragments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Sorry for the late update! Two of my summer classes finished this week so I was busy with finals! This chapter was so beautiful and fun to write! I hope you guys like it!

There was something batting at one of her lekku, punching it one direction then retreating, only to repeat the same process over again. It seemed to be gentle enough, it was merely tickling the appendage, soon enough causing it to curl and twitch at the bottom. Her eyelids felt soft as they started to flutter with intent to open as she gradually began to wake. A soft purr and chirp prodded her as she felt small feet begin to climb atop her chest before setting in the space underneath her breasts. The Lothcat from Jayna’s farm stared down at her from its perch on top of her. As their eyes connected it offered a small tilt of its head as its ears perked, and the purr rumbling in its chest became more prominent. Her head thumped down against the ground as hot tears welled in her eyes, What was she going to do now? Any hope of a new life had been squashed by that news report, her greatest shame, for everyone to know. The life that Sylvie and Eva had gifted her was over, she’d only been Ashla for a little over three months. 

She sobbed softly as her fists clenched at her sides. The Lothcat, still perched upon her chest, started to bat away again at her lekku. Red hot irritation flooded her and within a split second, she had swiped at the small creature as she surged up to a seated position, sending the poor animal tumbling away by several feet.

“Get Off!” she demanded it, before reeling back in horror at herself. The Lothcat seemed to be dazed and a little hurt as it stumbled back to its feet. As she went to shush and apologize for her behavior, a large rumble shook the dirt and rock beneath her. A web of splintering cracks sped out from where she was sitting as more sounds of earthly protest sounded beneath her. Holding her breath she tried to be as still as possible, hoping that a lack of movement on her part would slow the spread of the faults below. The grounds beneath began to feel like they were being bowed, depressing in from under her weight, but the cracks had stopped along with her breath as she struggled to formulate a plan. Nearby, just outside the cracks and faults in the ground, the Lothcat churrped, snatching her attention towards it. Her eyes widened as she looked to see the cat sitting there with an obvious disapproving eye as it held one of its paws in the air, suspiciously hovering over a nasty looking crack. As minutely as possible she frantically shook her head, no, no, no, no, please, rang in her mind as she pleaded silently with the animal. Its head turned cutely down to the side as its eyes softened, the paw started to retreat back. Without thinking she let out a slight sigh of relief, smartly rolling her eyes at the creature before realizing her mistake when she realized it had been watching her the entire time.

“Oh poodoo,” she swore as the paw came down and the earth fell out from underneath her, stealing whatever breath she would have taken as she faded into a dark abyss.

✧✧✧

Falling didn’t last long, she managed to hit the ground without too much fuss, quickly rolling her body right before impact. Dust billowed out around her, catching in her nose and throat as she coughed, squinting up towards the sky. The damn Lothcat was peering down at her from the hole she fell through, no larger than three meters, it gave her a soft purr that echoed down to her before disappearing from sight. Looking around she noticed she was in some kind of underground chamber, the walls were dark and old. A shiver ran down her spine as she sensed something foul in the air, both literally and figuratively. She started to move towards a wall across from her, carefully examining her surroundings, watching, listening. The wall was large, crumbling in some areas, as it branched into two different entrances. 

She ended up choosing the left tunnel, the air just smelled better. The passage was long, winding side to side sporadically, she had to have been walking for at least ten minutes when she came across a smaller chamber. The walls were covered in some kind of mirrored glass. Jagged, and dirty, her reflections looked back on her distorted and warped. She approached the reflection closest to her, fingers coming up to gently touch, the glass was cold against her fingertips. A deep sigh escaped her lips, as her eyes shut tightly. What was she doing? Shaking her head minutely, she turned back to enter the tunnel once again, only to find herself trapped in the room of reflections. The entrance to back to the passage she had come from, seemingly disappeared, leaving another wall of mirrors in its wake. Her heart started to race as she looked around desperately for a possible escape, to find nothing but her own panicked face staring back at her from all angles. Except for one, there was one mirror piece directly behind her that remained empty, even as she stood directly in front of it. 

The sounds of her breath reverberated around her as she started to examine the one-piece more closely.

“Ashoka,” a voice whispered behind her.

She whipped her head around, lekku flapping quickly against her shoulders, as she looked for the person behind the voice. Finding nothing she turned back to the reflectionless mirror, the breath in her lungs merely stopping as she looked into the pair of eyes staring back at her, that wasn’t her own.

“Daughter?” She asked incredulously.

Daughter nodded back at her, her face serene and quiet. Anger flared in Ahsoka’s core.

“Now you show up?!” She exploded at the force deity, “Where were you? You come to me, and tell me all this kriffing bullshit on how I’m so special and that you were going to train me…. And then just disappear!” Her hands were waving around in the air to exaggerate her words. Panting she glared at the woman, face set as she awaited an explanation.

“You hadn’t found the entrance,” she explained simply.

Ahsoka just looked at her bewildered, what the kriff was she talking about-, “Wait, the hole I fell through, that was the entrance?”

Daughter just nodded simply again. And Ahsoka just felt a frustrated laugh escape her lips, “That wasn’t even an entrance!” She exclaimed heavily. “It was just a hole in the ground that only opened after the Loth-,” she cut herself off, suddenly embarrassed by being dumped down a hole by a cat. 

Daughter smiled genuinely, “After the Loth what?”

Ahsoka just looked at her exasperated, turning her back on her like a petulant child. 

She felt lost and frustrated, angry, sad, and she just wanted to get out and have everything go back to normal.

Daughter piped up behind her, “I know right now you feel like you don't want to talk to me,” Ahsoka scoffed in agreement, “But you might want to talk to her.”

Her? Ahsoka thought. Turning her head slowly around she was greeted only by an empty pane of glass. As she stared at it more closely, she noticed a shadow getting bigger and bigger in the glass. Morphing and taking shape is it grew to encompass the space where Daughter had once been. It was a woman, older and human. She had deep brown hair tied up at the nape of her neck, and her clothes were in muted earth colors, seemingly light in texture, something would be worn in hot climates. Her skin was light, but there was obvious evidence that she spent plenty of time underneath the sun. Her eyes were wide and soft, almost welcoming, as she gazed at Ahsoka with warm brown eyes.

“Who are you?” Ahsoka asked, suspicious that this could just be Daughter in disguise, she remembered the shape-shifting ways of those who lived on Mortis.

The woman smiled at her, “My name is Shmi, Shmi Skywalker.”

And all the breath left Ahsoka's chest.

“That's impossible,” she stated, “You’re dead.” 

Anakin’s past had been a strict no-no in terms of discussion, Ahsoka had learned early on not to ask her Master on his past, she had been shut down and snapped at enough for the lesson to sink in. It wasn’t until after the Kadavo incident that Anakin brought up his past, Master Obi-Wan had told her how Anakin and his mother had been slaves on Tatooine when Master Qui Gon found them. Aboard the Resolute, Anakin managed to slip out that his mother was dead, during his check up on her to see if the Zygerians had hurt her. After that, there was no more mention of his mother or his past again.

“Yes,” Shmi responded. “But death doesn’t mean gone.”

Ahsoka's mouth opened and closed as she tried to formulate a question. 

Shmi, seemingly taking pity on Ahsoka’s confusion began to explain, “When things die what happens? The Jedi teach that after death everything fades into the living force and all individuality is lost. Some agree with this logic, whether or not they warp it to fit their beliefs is beside the point. And in some way it is correct. The force is in everything, big and small, life and death, light and dark.” She paused gathering her words, “All life is a part of the living force, and the living force embodies every living thing. When we die, we join the living force, but we don’t just fade away. We keep to ourselves what makes us who we are. Watching over those we left behind, reuniting with one that we have lost. We are always there, it just takes the right nudge to see us,” she finalized. 

Ahsoka was dumbfounded. A thousand generations of Jedi teachings scrapped by just a few sentences. 

“But how are you- Why are you-?” Daughter suddenly appeared next to Shmi in the mirror.

“I was the physical embodiment of the living force,” Daughter spoke, her tone made it seem like she was repeating an obvious fact, “And when I transferred the last of my essence into you in order to save your life, I transferred the living force as well.”

“So I’m now-” Ahsoka started slowly.

Shmi intercepted, “The physical manifestation of the living force? Yes.”

Ahsoka's knees felt weak, and she plopped down to the ground as her head reeled. This was too much she couldn't….

Shmi quickly started to hush as her image crouched down in front of her, hands twitching at her side as if trying to reach across and touch her. Ahsoka's breathing started to get frantic as her head spun, and it felt like her body was closing in around her, choking her. The physical embodiment of the living force?! There was no way! It had to be some kind of cosmic joke! Her? The weak ex-Jedi? A manifestation of one of the biggest powerhouses of the universe? No way! Her hands scratched at her temples as her thoughts screamed at her, pulsing across her montrals. 

Abruptly, it felt like something slapped across her cheek, shocking her back to a ‘slightly’ stable frame of mind. Daughter’s right hand was raised above her left shoulder, obviously, the one who had dealt the blow. Shmi glared up at her from her crouched position, grumbling under her breath, as she shifted to a better position on her knees as she motioned for Ahsoka’s attention once more.

“I understand how you must feel-,” Shmi said softly. Ahsoka just felt a small sob fill her throat, as she blinked away frustrated tears. Shmi kept going anyways, “Overwhelmed, lost, disbelieving, scared,” she paused, “I know that's how you feel because that's how it felt to me.” She heaved a great sigh, recalling such intense and overpowering emotions. Ashoka just sat there in shock, not quite understanding.

Shmi gave her a long, meaningful look, “I was thirteen the first time a man touched me. I didn’t even know what sex was at the time, all I knew was that my master had called me into his room one night and told me to take my clothes off.” Ahsoka couldn’t believe it, thirteen? “After that, I was passed around to other masters, some didn’t bother to look twice at the ‘help’, others took more than enough pleasure at seeing me suffer in such an incorrigible way. I was terrified, alone, humiliated, and had no idea what to do or how to leave behind the memory of their faces, their hands, their voices.”

A still silence came upon the room, as each respective woman lost themselves to their thoughts.

“I’d never felt weaker,” Ahsoka started softly, eyes trained on Shmi’s for encouragement, “Cut off from the force like that I-,” A solitary tear ran down her cheek. “I felt so alone!”   
“Oh, sweetheart,” Shmi murmured, “You have never been, nor will you ever be weak. You are so, so strong!”

“But I couldn’t fight them back!” Ahsoka exclaimed.

“I know,” Shmi soothed, “The circumstances they forced upon you left you vulnerable and exposed, by using the force suppressors they were the weak ones. Cowardly and deceitful. They knew that if they did not have that advantage over you they would not be able to succeed. It was your strength that frightened them.”

Ahsoka felt like she was gulping in big gasps of air, as more and more tears fell from her eyes.

“Ahsoka look at me,” Shmi instructed.

Their eyes met, nurturing, and lost locked eye to eye. “You are not weak,” she said enunciating every word, “And you will never be alone.” She started to smile, “Anakin loves you so much dear, so does Padmé, and Obi-Wan, Master Plo, and the Clones. They will always be a part of you.”

Feeling through the force she tried to find the truth in Shmi’s words. Struggling past her own emotions she was greeted by nothing but warmth, pure and radiant.

Daughter began to interject softly, joining the two on the ground, “I will teach you.” After a sharp irritated look from Shmi, and a swift elbow to the ribs, she expanded, “How to remove yourself from force suppressors, among other things” She trailed off, perky suddenly back up by a sneer from Shmi, Ahsoka hid a small giggle underneath one of the last residual sobs that still rattled in her chest. “I can show you how to connect to all things that encompass the living force, certain elements that you can bend and shape to your will. I can even show you how to harness cosmic energy.” She finished with a wary glance to Shmi, the woman only giving a slight huff in return.

“But why? Why do I need to learn?” 

Shmi and Daughter gave her equally exasperated looks, turning to Daughter, Shmi said forlornly, “She gets it from Anakin.”

Ahsoka felt slightly insulted, scoffing a bit to herself.

“Destiny has been altered,” Daughter explained, “Certain events have taken place that never should have happened. And so we must adjust. The chosen one will need help in order to deal a lasting blow to the Sith, and you will be the one to do it.”

Both she and Shmi began to fade from the mirror as Daughter threw out, “ I will teach you what I can from within your mind but don’t worry, help is closer than you think.” As she faded from view.

Shmi was barely visible as she laughed and said, “Try not to kill each other.”

“Try not to kill who? I’m stuck in this room-” she yelled smacking her hand against the pane of glass. “What do you mean-?”

A laugh that sounded suspiciously like Shmi’s echoed in her mind as every mirror suddenly shattered and she fell once more.

“Oh, kriff.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? 
> 
> Love, Z

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I hope you are all still with me! I'm gonna start on the Next Chapter tomorrow!


End file.
